Share this Story

In not-so-surprising news today, the WSJ is reporting that the DROID Bionic has been pushed back from its original Q2 release date while Motorola incorprates new enhancements to make for a better overall phone. Here is what Motorola specifically said:

“Based on compelling feedback since the show, we are incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience,” a Motorola spokeswoman said.

We have talked for a week now about the possibility of it being cancelled, and are still sticking by that report. Well, “cancelled” might not be the right term, but we can almost guarantee that the Bionic pictured above will not be the one you purchase this summer. There we go droppin’ even more hints.

Post navigation

all i want to know is the form factor, that is all. Bionics original form or this ugly ass targa.

Robvanwinkle

IMO they are holding it back so they can wait until their own Moto OS is developed is finished, so they can put that on the bionic, instead of Android.

Tim242

Oh yeah…the Droid Bionic without Android. *rolls eyes*

http://twitter.com/finitybeyond David Chen

I hope this means Webtop.

BTGGTR1

Fine by me, I think the Bionic in the pic above is a thick, blocky, ugly phone. Hopefully it will look more like the Targa when it comes out instead.

Anonymous

Forget about the Bionic/Targa, where’s the Galaxy S II on Verizon with LTE? I was originally hoping for a late May/June release but now I just hope we’ll see it before August. Starting to look like it will come to ever other market first then we’ll see carrier specific ones in the US around late summer. I’m thinking we’ll see a face-off between Galaxy S II and Bionic/Targa, since they are now looking to release around the same time.

Motorola’s 540 x 960 screens are PenTile, so that’s a no go for me, Super AMOLED Plus is RGB subpixel layout as opposed to previous AMOLED and Super AMOLED. I’m not worried about 480 x 800 on 4.3 as long as it isn’t PenTile (mark my words 540 x 960 on Bionic/Targa will look more pixelated than 480 x 800 on Galaxy S II). Also Exynos is going to be awesome, I just hope it plays nice with stock android, and hopefully the Galaxy S II will get support for CM7.

Tim242

People that complain about pentile get on my nerves. Reviewers love the Atrix screen. None of them found it to be “pixelated,”

Anonymous

Well I own an Incredible with an AMOLED screen which is PenTile, and let me tell you from personal experience, the AMOLED is great but the PenTile layout is particularly annoying for text. Honestly it isn’t noticeable for most people and I don’t really care that much and being an AMOLED screen it is a compromise I can live with. However there’s no way I’m going to downgrade from AMOLED to LCD with PenTile on the Bionic, that’s like the lowest of the low in screen technology, doesn’t even compare to Super AMOLED Plus.

Tim242

Samoled and Samoled + suck. Colors are washed out, and text is blurry. SLCD
is much better.

Anonymous

Is this from personal experience, or just what you’ve heard? Because as far as I know there aren’t any phones currently available with Super AMOLED Plus screens. If you are trying to say that text is blurry on Super AMOLED but better on SLCD, you are referring to PenTile which is what makes text “blurry” and I agree SLCD (without PenTile) is much sharper, than Super AMOLED (with PenTile). However, neither the Bionic nor the Atrix have SLCD screens, they have regular LCD with PenTile, yet Super AMOLED Plus screens no longer have PenTile so I don’t know what you’re getting at…

Galaxy S II – Super AMOLED Plus (RGB subpixels, NOT PenTile)

Bionic/Atrix – LCD (with PenTile)

For me it’s no contest.

Julian-1988

ive been eligible for a upgrade for 5 months waiting for this phone … looks like im waiting longer!!

Anonymous

I would say that I hope they’re changing it from their crappy blur to a stock google device but I’m a thinking adult who knows how deluded they are concerning blur.

Anonymous

I would say that I hope they’re changing it from their crappy blur to a stock google device but I’m a thinking adult who knows how deluded they are concerning blur.

http://profiles.google.com/matt2783 Matthew Seth

I hope Moto realizes nobody wants their motoblur crap… Just give us the option to run stock Android!

Stock android, 1.2ghz dual core and 1gb RAM and this (whatever this is) will be my next phone.

http://profiles.google.com/booboolala2000 Patrick Crumpler

you can forget unlimited LTE by Aug that’s for sure.

http://www.facebook.com/nickclyde Nick Clyde

tl;dr

The sexy phone we saw at CES is gone forever, replaced with some impostor with a giant forehead.

Tim242

Sexy phone? The Bionic is an ugly monstocity. It is bigger than the Droid X. The rounded corners are not cute. It hadthe ugliest back that I had ever seen. It was an all plastic body. Not at all sexy. You must have low standards.

http://profiles.google.com/booboolala2000 Patrick Crumpler

If they incorporate a kill switch for blur, an unloackable bootloader, and some of the features of the atrix as well as a hefty battery, then maybe. My question is why is it taking so long for gingerbread on any phone?

http://toobig.net TooBIG

They must be getting sued by apple and designing a new one…lMAO

Matt

A friend at Verizon (who does not work in retail but technology) opined that it’ll come out in August.

Elijah

They’re canceling the Bionic and releasing the Targa under the same name. The Droid bionic was already behind the curve, so they are secretly canceling it for the Targa which has much better specs. And those of you who think there will be stock GB and an unlocked bootloader are dreaming. This is moto guys, and not the same Moto that released the OG Droid. :p

DBK

How was it behind when it easily beats out anything currently offered and is better than what will be offered before it was supposed to be released? Someone’s dreaming, and it’s not us.

http://www.twitter.com/helmes/ Henry

The Targa is the new Bionic……HINT HINT

NewsWorthy

Just as I thought…

~ Slim ~

Jeremy Gentry

ive already been wait and waiting now i have to wait more…. OMFG FML

shr1k3r

more DDR2 ram, 4″erize it, put a version of android that is capable of handling dual cores on it, gyroscope, biometric scanner, better body that doesn’t look so much like the Cliq XT, to name a few

shr1k3r

more DDR2 ram, 4″erize it, put a version of android that is capable of handling dual cores on it, gyroscope, biometric scanner, better body that doesn’t look so much like the Cliq XT, to name a few

KO

So the reality of the situation is Motorola wants to save face now by saying its “delayed”,when in all likelihood it had in fact been cancelled, but using that term makes them look bad. The likelihood of the piece of hardware we have come to know as the “Bionic” up until this point is likely never to see an end consumers hands. Changing the name of the Targa to Bionic doesnt hide the fact that they still had a phone they couldnt sell

KO

So the reality of the situation is Motorola wants to save face now by saying its “delayed”,when in all likelihood it had in fact been cancelled, but using that term makes them look bad. The likelihood of the piece of hardware we have come to know as the “Bionic” up until this point is likely never to see an end consumers hands. Changing the name of the Targa to Bionic doesnt hide the fact that they still had a phone they couldnt sell

Mckoi76

sounds to me like Droid Does Targa this summer….

Mckoi76

sounds to me like Droid Does Targa this summer….

Laovercash81

I think MOTO is dropping Android and coming out with there own OS.

http://profiles.google.com/bhinson15 Brandon Hinson

Even if they did that wouldn’t change the Bionic.

Anonymous

Based on what I’ve seen of MotoBlur, I hope not…for Motorola’s sake.

DroidFan

I’m getting tired of this Release date here release date there shit and about cancellations. I’m getting ready to say screw it and get the TB and buy an extra battery to keep handy. All this BS is just getting old. This phone has been in the works for how long now? Obviously it has been in the works BEFORE the CES and now it’s almost 4 months later and still issues with it. Looks like I’ll be a TB user for the next 2 yrs.

http://profiles.google.com/bhinson15 Brandon Hinson

When you want to be on the bleeding edge thats what happens… release dates here release dates there… nothing is set in stone with new technology.

BUT I do agree if you are going to win best in show at CES release the damn phone.

BigT

You wont need an extra battery. Your overclock will compare to a dual core without a voltage bump. You will be in stock android heaven (if you choose to be) you will be in the graces of many of androids best devs. Don’t believe the people who don’t have the phone BATTERY IS NOT AN ISSUE seriously go get you one it is love

Jim Dandy

Enhancement my arse. Don’t f the software.

http://www.facebook.com/flavio9 Miguel Angel

i like the design of the targa better than the bionic

asdf

Definitely fine with my SkyRaider Incredible until they perfect this beast and decide to release it. Sitting on an upgrade and if they kick up the RAM and optimize battery, then this is my next phone.

Here it is straight from Moto’s Mouth… Read and Enjoy for all those who love the design.

So with the latest news that the Bionic is being delayed for “upgrades” everyone is excited we could see more ram, a better front facing camera, but the biggest overall concern is that Motorola may change the design of the Bionic to not look like what we have grown to love.

Everyone is scared that it will come out looking like the rumored Targa or Droid X 2.

So the simplest question I can ask is will the Bionic look as it does today??? Thats what everyone is dying to know.

You have Many loyal Motorloa fans out their more than willing to wait for this incredibly sexy phone with awesome hardware, myself included.

Great design, very sleek, very appealing. Please let us know if it will stay the same.

Thank you,
Motorola Fan

Response:

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen by replying to this email within the next 7 days.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Subject
Droid Bionic to change Deisgn or Stay the Same

Discussion Thread
Dear Jasper,

Thanks for reaching out to Motorola. I’ve reviewed your e-mail and I’m ready to help.

Regarding your concern, the design of the Motorola Droid Bionic will still be the same. We don’t have any specific launch date on this particular phone. We highly recommend you to check our web site from time to time for further updates.

We hope that you find this information useful and look forward to assisting you in the future.

For information about Motorola products and services, please visit us at Motorola Home – Motorola USA

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support.

Best Regards,

Niel

Tim242

And you actually believe that form letter response? Are you really that naieve/gullible?

Tim242

And you actually believe that form letter response? Are you really that naieve/gullible?

I cant help but think that the Targa should be the DX2… the less pronounced DXesque camera hump and overall shape of it looks more like an updated DX than a new phone… and of course the DX2 isn’t a new phone… motorola’s trippin…

Motta2003

I don’t like that bump out which also prevented me from getting the Droid X….glad I got the T-Bolt.

Anonymous

You know what would give me a better consumer experience? If Verizon would release a decent phone so I wouldn’t have to use a freakin’ Droid 1!

Anonymous

and whats wrong with the original Droid?

Kimsj756

nothing’s wrong… it’s just there is no other phones that can match up to the excitement OG droid brought to us.

i agree with your agreeance…i’ve been running the original droid since february of last year…nothing has come out to pull me away from it…though if the targa or the droid 3(or something that is in my opinion better) come out around my upgrade date(october) i may just have to make the jump…

Anonymous

of course it’s not going to bring you the same “excitement”… OG Droid was the first. The premier! But each new phone that comes out should be an improvement over the previous. The DX was better than the OG Droid (unless you’re big on a hard keyboard), the Thunderbolt is all around better than the DX (yes, there are battery life issues, but overall, it’s better spec wise)…

in my mind the only way phones will continue to get better is with faster processors (which will get to the point where you don’t notice much improvement), affordable 4g (not solely a hardware issue, but a combination of how affordable the carriers can make the plans and sell the phones), better battery life (which yeah, is huge, but honestly, common sense tells you that as phones get more powerful, there is more of a drain on the battery. What I’d like to see is a small backup battery that allows you to quickly change the main battery over without shutting off the phone… shit i’ll carry around a spare if I can avoid turning off and restarting my phone!).

All these things are important. Yet none of them are all that exciting… you’ll never get the same thrill with a new Droid (or any Android phone) as you did with the OG Droid because phone technology is mostly at the point of improving upon thing, not completely revamping.

Anonymous

I’m going to respectfully disagree with your statement that the DX was better than the OG Droid (and it has nothing to do with the keyboard). While specs-wise it may have a leg-up on our D1, the fact that it’s completely unlocked and 100% customizable evens things out a bit. And I’ve been running my D1 at 1.1Ghz (and completely stable) since I rooted in January 2010. So in my opinion, the only thing the DX had on my D1 was a bigger screen and more RAM.

I believe that one must consider more than just specs numbers when determining which phone is better.

tjhrulz

I agree but one thing to note is ram is important, thats why I use swapper

TSteege

I love my OG Droid. I got it the day it was released. I bought one daughter a Droid Pro (Pretty cool), the other daughter a Droid Incredible, (Not Bad), and my son the DroidX (Awesome). With that being said, I still prefer my OG Droid. My contract is up and I have no reason to get a new phone. Moto, if you make the Bionic like that, count me in. If not me my OG will have a happy life togeather.

Just my $.02…

Anonymous

I also agree with this. I’ve had an OG Droid since January of 2010 and despite having four additional available upgrades I haven’t had any interest in any phones released since. The only one that slightly peaked my interest was the Thunderbolt. But then I remembered how crappy HTC phones are and how they were releasing a phone with an already-behind-the-times processor (seriously, why put a single-core processor in there?). So I’ll be waiting for confirmed specs for the Bionic/Targa or the possible announcement of a Nexus phone coming to Verizon. Until then I’ll still be using my D1 sporting whatever is the most recent release of Project Elite.

http://profiles.google.com/tyler0976 tyler fish

Haha, totally agree! I have the same story with my OG Droid too. Still using it with the latest Project Elite.

Anonymous

There’s only so much you can do with a dated 600MHz processor. Also, the keyboard is completely useless. I haven’t slid that thing out in Lord knows how long.

Anonymous

i havent slid mine out since i bought the phone(and this is coming from someone that went with the Droid over the Eris because of the keyboard{at the time i didnt care about specs}) and i’ve used the Droid X…the physical buttons ont he droid X just kill it for me…i love the size and i love everything else about the phone…and every single display droid x has the buttons permanently mashed in, sot hat killed it for me

Anonymous

and whats wrong with the original Droid?

Batman

YES PLEASE!!! I’m giving it till June or July before I head over to Sprint. Sick of these games. VZW PHONES SUCK!!!

Dj

So what phone would you like to see on Verizon ? Or if there is not a certian phone out right now who would you like to see come out with one on Verizon ??

Anonymous

Not that this question is directed at me, but I’d personally love to see a beefed up HTC Merge on Verizon. Give me 4G, front facing camera, 1.2 Ghz, dual core, a badass battery (or 2 batteries with a backup battery in the phone so I can easily swap them out without turning off the phone), and the basic Merge hardware… 4″ screen, nasty lookin hard keyboard, and updated Sense running 2.3… hell yes.

TommyZ

I also wish phones had “Hot Swappable” batteries. I never thought about a small battery inside the phone. Being able to swap the battery with the USB plugged in would be good enough for me.

I’d like to see either a Nexus phone, or something similar to T-mobile’s ‘G-series’. I want pure Android. And you know what? If the only way to get it on VZW is to release one in 3G flavor, then so be it. I don’t really see the need for 4G speeds yet anyway.

BTGGTR1

I dissagree man,,,,I got a Droid X a couple months ago after having a Droid 1 since November ’09. It’s a WAY better phone, totally glad I stepped up to the X. I run RubiX Focused 2.0.1 on it and it’s blazing fast, looks like Gingerbread and no bloatware whatsoever.

Anonymous

ALERT!!

HYPEBEAST!!

ALERT!!

Pete

A better experience as in stock Android? Why thank you Moto!

Anonymous

If Motorola and Verizon actually release a flagship phone as stock Android I’ll print off a copy of this webpage and eat it.

The Observer

I’d be right next to you, bottle of spicy ketchup in hand, ready to eat a page too.

Batman

LMAO @ everyone who told me I was crazy for saying this phone isn’t coming out anytime soon!!! Eat it fanboys.

Dean2359

Ive been waiting for the B but now im gonna check out the targa instead which I believe now will be arriving around the same time

Sob157

What makes you think the Targa isnt what the Bionic will be when released. The rumor of an original DB cancel in favor of ramping up targa’s release was in the air. Dont be suprised to see a bionic/targa hybrid come summertime, or the original leaked targa named bionic.

Anonymous

Someone starting to put the clues together. Nice work Sob157.

Bkn0x

Kellex I have an OG Druid and not sure what to get! TB? Wait for Tagra? Or wait in general any advice?

http://profiles.google.com/bhinson15 Brandon Hinson

Wait. Tbolt is good but if you can wait then wait. Tegra looks pro. I personaly would hold out for that before getting the Tbolt

http://twitter.com/ChrisJBatson Chris Batson

the ability to put custom kernels and full baked ROMs on the Tbolt is very tempting. I have an X now and an upgrade in my pocket. I’m tired of waiting on these moto phones and then they’ll be locked down like my X (which wasn’t nearly as fun as having my OG Droid). I’m on the fence and about to plunge into the Tbolt.

Azndan3

Get the Thunderbolt. You eill. Never look back at motorola

Tesseract 3

Does it have a celtic magic app included? =p

DBK

lol I wonder if his ringtone sounds like chanting?

Tesseract 3

Lmao

Bkn0x

Yeah not sure Tbolt or wait so conflicting..ne help Kellex haha

Tesseract 3

So what I’ve been suspecting may be right, interesting.

Anonymous

Unfortunately, the Bionic is 100 times sexier than the Targa. The Targa just looks terrible.

Anonymous

Unfortunately, the Bionic is 100 times sexier than the Targa. The Targa just looks terrible.

Anonymous

This is exactly what I said in the post about the Bionic yesterday. I said that the Bionic as we knew it back at CES was probably being scrapped. Instead Motorola would be focusing on the phone that, up to this point, we’ve been referring to as the Targa. Except when Motorola releases the “Targa” it will have the name “Bionic” because that’s the phone they showcased back at CES. (Imagine what would happen if their showcase phone never actually made it out to consumers – how would that make them look.?) And, in my opinion, the name Bionic sounds better – especially if it ends up being called the Droid Bionic.

k$

its funny cause when it eventually comes out, it will be obsolete in specs… i see what they’re doing here

Droid

Why pretend you know more than u are giving us..

Anonymous

Because I do.

Anonymous

This reminds of the Bionic Man TV show. The bionic man was created as the result of an experimental plane crash. Now, the Bionic Droid will be the result of an experimental phone crash.

http://twitter.com/binglut9 Brian

Then why not just tell us? Comon mangg

Tesseract 3

LOL because then his sources would stop telling him anything. Whenever you have insider sources, you have to keep quiet what they want you to keep quiet, at least for awhile, or they will stop telling you stuff.

Anonymous

This is indeed true. I like my friends to keep their day jobs.

http://twitter.com/binglut9 Brian

Can we at least get a poem :p

http://twitter.com/binglut9 Brian

Can we at least get a poem :p

Tim242

Haha now hate on the Thunderbolt some more. Looks like your precious Bluronic is plagued with issues. Btw, I returned my X.

Steve Austin

Can you tell us which form factor? Bionic or the ugly one with junk in the trunk?

Steve Austin

Can you tell us which form factor? Bionic or the ugly one with junk in the trunk?

Anonymous

Translation:

We f’d up the original Bionic, we need some time to fix it before it’s ready for release.

http://twitter.com/TonyG916 Tony Garza

more ram and no locked bootloader. that’s an experience enhancement

http://twitter.com/JasonAGrier Jason A. Grier

First day buy if that’s the case!

LinuxLover

And stock Gingerbread!

Calvin Williams

1GB Ram, 2mp FFC (.3 mp it currently has is radankulous,) non pentile screen (atrix screen SUCKED if you ever used it. If the Bionic is the same I won’t even touch it.)

As for the bootloader, Motorola said they will make a way for people to root their phones. I’m hoping they do it right.

As of now though, I’m still drooling over the 1.2Ghz SGS2. Only thing I’m jealous about is the 9 hour battery life on the Bionic and the sexy look of it.

http://www.bighugstudio.blogspot.com Bighugstudio

Slim chance its a different screen, why would it be?

The screen is not that bad, people are too picky. Its like saying the sgs2 screen sucks and looks like crap because its only 800x 480. weak, who wants 2009 back…

But you’ll still eat it up and think how great it looks.

Calvin Williams

Different screen from the Atrix screen. Go use the Atrix and tell me it’s a good screen. I was shocked how terrible it looked. It’s “qHD” looks much worse than a 800X480 resolution. It looks worse than my Droid X and Droid 1. It’s awful. Now go try the Droid Charge samoled plus screen and prepare yourself to be mind f*cked. Yes screens make a huge difference.

About Droid Life

We consider ourselves to have the greatest Android community in the world, here at Droid Life. We talk general news, feature apps, review phones, and even teach you how to hack a little. But most importantly, there is no place on the internet that has the reader participation that we do and consider ourselves to be completely community driven. If you were looking for the best place to learn about Android and talk with like-minded folks about all things tech, then Droid Life is for you.